Garment hanger



- Sept. l0, 1935. L J, SHAFARMAN 2,014,299

-GARMENT HANGER Filed April 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE'NTOR:

Ismcewarmaw,

B 4 .ff

Z//s A TTORNEYI sePt- 10, 1935 I l. .1. SHAFARMAN 2,014,299

GARMENT HANGER 'Filed April 12, 19:55 2 sheets-sheet 2- IN V EN TOR:

BMC cafarmn,

@is ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT HANGER Isaac J. Shafarman, Foi-t Worth, Tex. Application April 12, 1935, serial N0.'1e,1'01

claims. (ci. zza-92) This invention relates to garment hangers and more particularly to an improved means for hanging womens dresses in stocks for merchandisingw w and the like, as well as in stocks for merchandising and commercial storage.

In show window and other displays of dresses and similar garments itis customary to carefully place and gracefully drape the garments on special supports or forms to bring out attractively the design and style of the garments in the true character and form thereof, or at least in near simulation of the appearance of the garment as actually worn. However, in the merchandising stock, the garments are merely hung from the shoulder portions on ordinary conventional hangers, such as an arcuate or otherwise peculiarly curved bar suspended at its middle from a hook, or else hung from the well-known hangers made of wire. In any case, all of the weight of the garment is carried by the shoulder portions, with the result that the garment hangs drawn out lengthwise and retracted transversely throughout and deformed to such a degree as to detract appreciably from the natural appearance and style of the garment so that the prospective customer who may have seen the more attractive display in the show window, or otherwise, is disappointed in the appearance of the garment as taken from the stock. Consequently, the sale, in many cases, is lost or the sales person experiences diiliculty in convincing the customer that it is the same garment as that displayed and which attracted the attention of the customer.

Not only is the garment given that lengthwise drawn and transversely pulled in or retracted effect, as just above described, when hung in the usual manner from the shoulder portions, but it is pulled out of shape to such extent that it is necessary to press and re-shape it before wearing, and, in many cases, the garment is so distorted and permanently sprung out of shape that it is necessary to make material alterations therein to bring it back to its original form. That is to say, it is almost impossible to place the garment, even with extraordinary care, on the usualhanger employed, with exact evenness of location of the shoulder portions on the supporting bar or formed portion of the hanger to give even distribution of the weight of the suspended lower portions of the garment, or, if it is symmetrically placed on the hanger there is nothing to prevent slippage to one side or the other on the hanger, which obviously occurs in the handling of the stock and the removal of an adjacent garment. 5 The result, therefore, is the stretching lengthwise of the garment at one side, thereby making it hang uneven at the bottom when worn, and this not only occurs in merchandising stocks, but in the wardrobe of the purchaser of the garment and for whom, in all probability, the garment was fitted and the bottom altered and evened to the peculiar form of that particular person.

One object of the present invention is to provide vimproved means for hanging the garments to overcome the 4disadvantages herein above noted, and to this end it consists in novel means for supporting the shoulder portions of the garment, with further provision for supporting the lower portion of the garment from the region of the belt or -waist line and lifting the latter supporting `means so as to ease and loosen the part of the garment between the shoulder support and the belt or waist line, giving to that part a bloused effect. A further object is to provide simple means for preventing slippage of the shoulder portions on the upper supporting element of the hanger. Other objects and advantages to be attained will hereinafter more fully appear in the following description.

'I'he invention consists in the parts and com- 30* binations and arrangements of parts hereinafter specied and afterwards set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating practical adaptations of the invention,-

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, showing a dress applied to a hanger in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the same 40 garment as applied to the hanger;

Figure 3 is a detail elevational view of an element for supporting the garment at the belt or waist line, detached from the garment and the upper hanger element;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the supporting tape or strap removed, and showing a different sized hanger plate;

Figure 5 is a view, on an enlarged scale, somewhat fragmentary in character, and partly in section and partly in side edge elevation; said view illustrating details of the hanger plate structure and the supporting tape or strap;

Figure 6 is a face view ofthe parts shown in Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, the numeral I designates generally a dress, having an upper body portion 2, with sleeves 3, theupper body portion 5 2, as shown, being attached to the waist portion 4 of the skirt 5, at which place of attachment a belt 6 is provided. The belt 6, for obvious reasons, is

usuallyfastened to the garment only at two or more places, to afford adjustment. However, as

far as the present invention is concerned, the

. belt may be attached throughout its length, and,

in some cases, -there may be no belt provided at all, depending upon the style and character of the garment.

l5 The shoulder portions 1 of the dress are placed over the cross bar 8 of an ordinary hanger, provided with a hook 9 by which it is supported on any conventional rack or supporting rod in a store fixture or individual wardrobe, cabinet or closet, as the case may be. This placing of the shoulder portions of the garment, except as herevl cial corrugated paper board of the kind wherein the main body of the board is corrugated and has an outer covering of sheet paper or fabric on opposite sides. This is shown more clearly in Figure 6 of the drawings, wherein the inner body portion of corrugated material is shown in section and designated by the' numeral II and the outer covering sheets by the numeral I2'. So, too, the marginal portions of the plate I0 are preferably bound with tape I3 which may be applied 40 with a suitable adhesive, but said binding is preferably stitched along its inner margins, as

at I4.

The plate member IU, in practice, may be made in any number of sizes, but will generally be made in only two different sizes, as it has been found In actual use that two properly proportioned sizes will take care of' all regular sizes of garments.

That is to say, a plate of one size will sufiice forv or belt or waist line portion, which portion is reduced in width by the recessing of the opposite 80 side margins thereof roundingly, as at I 5.

i Near the upper margin of the plate I0 a slotted opening I6is provided, and said opening is preferably reinforced by a metal lining or grommet I1. Through this opening I6 is threaded the 65 looped portion I8 of a tape or strap member I9,

' the end of the looped portion I8 being secured to the middle cross'bar 20 of a slide buckle element 2|, as at 22. The opposite end portion of the tape or strap member' I9 is folded back upon itself, as

70 at 23, the overlapped portions being apertured, as at 2,4, and preferably reinforced by an eyelet member 25. Obviously, by moving the slide buckle element 2I between the looped portion I8 and the apertured end portion 24 of the tape or 75 strap member I9, said member is lengthened and shortened, at will, to effect the adjustment of the garment hanger, as will be presently more fully described.

In applying the supporting platelll to the dress as first hung on the hanger bar 8, as hereinbefore described, said plate I0 is placed at the back of the garment in the region of the belt or, waist portion thereof (see Figure 2 for clearer detail) midway between the side margins of the garment.

After the plate I0 is located so that its narrowest 10 portion (the belt or waist line portion thereof) coincides with the belt or waist portion of the garment, the side marginal portions of the garment are next folded inwardly towards each other, over the outer face of the plate II), and the 15 meeting portions thus folded are gathered and drawn together to tighten the belt or waist portion of the garment about the plate I0, upon the accomplishment of which the meeting portions are pinned or otherwise securely fastened togeth- 20 er at the belt or waist line.

The plate III having been applied as just above described, and the apertured end portion 24 of the tape or strap member I9 having been previously slipped onto the hook member 9 of the 25 hanger bar 8, the slide buckle element 2| is adjusted to make the supporting length of the tape or strap member I9 just suflicient to lift the belt or waist portion of the garment slightly and thereby loosen and blouse the body portion lie- 30 tween that portion and the shoulder portions.

, This imposes all the weight of the garment below the belt or waist line directly upon the hanger bar 8 and hook member 9, entirely relieving the shoulder portions of said weight and leaving only 35 the Weight of the body portion above the belt or waist portion upon said hanger bar 8. In this way the bloused upper part of the garment hangs loosely and without any tautening pull thereon, and in a naturally graceful effect, and at the 40 same time the skirt or portion below the belt or Waist line hangs also gracefully and synmetrically and without any deforming strains thereon. f

In addition to the hanging of the portions of 45 the garment as just above described, the shoulder portions 1 of the garment are held from slipping endwise on said hanger bar 8, because the adjacent portion 26 of the tape or strap member I9 (see Figure 2 ofthe drawings) presses the middle 50 portion between said shoulder portions 1 tightly against tthe rear face of the hanger bar 8. This is an important advantage in the use of the improved hanger device of the present invention.

Obviously, other modifications in the several parts of the hanger device and in its application in use, may be made and adopted Without in the least departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific constructions, arrangements and applications shown in the accompanying drawings, as the invention is broadly characterized by the simple and peculiar yet practical manner of supporting the lower or skirt portion of the garment separately from the upper bodice or blouse portion, whereby to, display the garment in an `attractively graceful and pleasing appearance,

without pulling the shoulder portions out of shape or otherwise appreciably deforming the garment, and at the same time with relative compactness so as to not take up appreciably more storage space in a merchandising stock or in a wardrobe, cabinet or closet than with the use of ordinary hangers heretofore employed. Furthermore, while the hanger device of the present invention is specially adapted and advantageous for hanging a one-piece dress and the like, it is also advantageously applicable to two-piece or 'acter described, comprising a hanger element for supporting the shoulder portions of the garment, an element for the attachment of the belt or waist portion of the garment thereto, and a lengthwise adjustable element supportably connecting the second mentioned element from the first mentioned element.

2. Means for hanging garments of the character described, comprising a hanger element vfor supporting the shoulder portions of the garment, an element about which the belt or waist portion or the garment is adapted to be foldably attached, and a ilexible lengthwise adjustable element supportably connecting the second mentioned ele# ment from the rst mentioned element.

3. The combination in a garment hanger, of a hanger element for supporting the shoulder portions of the garment, said element'having a supporting hook, a plate-like member having its opposite side marginal portions curved inwardly intermediate its upper and lower edge and provided near its upper end marginal portion with an aperture, and an elongated flexible connecting element lhaving its lower portion looped and threaded through said aperture in said plate-like 5 member, the end of said looped portion of said flexible connecting element being slidably buckled to the intermediate portion of said ilexible connecting element, the upper end portion of said ilexible connecting element being apertured for l0 attachment to the supporting hook of said hanger element.

4. A garment hanger element of the character described, comprising a at plate-like member and an elongated exible member having provision at one end for attachment to a support, the

yopposite end portion of said exible member being looped and slidably attached to one end portion of said plate-like member and the terminal of said looped end portion being longitudinally adjustably attached to the intermediate body portion of said flexible element.

5. A garment element of the character described, comprising a flat plate-like member, the said flat plate-like member having side edges being inwardly curved intermediate its upper and lower edge, and an elongated exible member having provision at one end for attachment to a support, the opposite end portion of said flexible member being looped and slidably attached to one end portion of said at plate-like member and the terminal of said looped end portion being longitudinally adjustably attached to the intermediate body portion of said flexible element.

ISAAC J. SHAFARMAN. 

